Mounting assembly for a toilet flush ball



M y 1965 c. x. MARSHALL 3,181,177

MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR A TOILET FLUSH BALL Filed 001;- 23, 1962 INVENTORC. X. Marshall BY M-f-M Attorneys United States Patent 3,181,177MOUNTING ASSEMBLY FOR A TGILET FLUSH BALL Charles X. Marshall, Norway,Micln, assignor of one-half to George F. Sager, Coleman, Wis. Filed Oct.23, 1962, Ser. No. 232,392 1 Claim. (Cl. 4-57 This invention relates toan improved mounting assembly for a toilet flush ball, and moreparticularly to a novel support and guide apparatus for a flush ballwhich is designed to ensure that said ball properly engages its valveseat.

Conventional toilet flush tanks include a ball-like valve formed ofrubber or the like which is adapted to be raised and lowered relative toa valve seat in said tank to control the introduction and withdrawal ofwater from the toilet in response to manipulation of the toilet handle.Unfortunately, such ball-type valves, or so-called flush balls, do notalways re-align themselves properly with the valve seat when the toiletis flushed, and it is not uncommon to have constant leakage past saidvalve, which not only results in considerable wastage of water, butwhich creates an objectionable noise. With this shortcoming ofconventional flush tanks in mind, the principal object of the presentinvention is to provide a novel mounting assembly for a flush ballwhereby said ball is always lowered accurately relative to its valveseat when the toilet is flushed, and wherein the firm engagement of theball with said valve seat is promoted.

A more specific object of the present invention is to provide a novelmounting assembly for a toilet flush ball, as described, which assemblyincludes a vertically-slidable ball-supporting member which rides onguide rods positioned to ensure the perfect engagement of said ball inits valve seat.

A further object is to provide an improved flush ball mounting assemblyfor toilets which may be readily installed in standard toilets, whichunit can be easily removed from the tank for repairs or adjustment, andwherein the ball valve may be separately detached and quickly replacedin the unit when required.

Still further objects of the present invention are to provide animproved flush tank ball support and guide assembly which is reliable inoperation, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, and whichnovel assembly is otherwise particularly well adapted for its intendedpurposes.

With the above and other objects in view, the improved flush ballmounting assembly comprising the present invention includes theapparatus illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter described, and allof its parts and combinations, as set forth in the followingspecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein the same reference numeralsdesignate the same parts in all of the views:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of the novel ball support and guideassembly, showing the ball valve in its raised position;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the assembly with the ball in itslowered, sealing position;

FiG. 3 is a side elevational view of the assembly with the ball valve inits lowered position;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the supporting bracket employed in thepresent invention;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the ball and slide bar, withthe ball removed from said bar; and

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the top of theflush ball, showing the top member employed in the present inventionmounted therein.

3,l3l,l17 Patented May 4, 1965 Referring now more particularly to thedrawing, the numeral 19 designates the so-called flush L-pipe which isan integral component of a conventional toilet tank. As best appears inFIG. 3, mounted on the lower end of said L-pipe is a cup-like valve seat11 forming the upper end of a bore 12 which communicates with theinterior of the toilet 'bowl, and through which water can be introducedinto said bowl, as is well known in the art. Pivotally mounted on theinner surface of the flush tank wall is an arm 14, 'or trip lever, whichis operatively attached to a suitable handle (not shown) on the exteriorof said tank.

In accordance with the present invention there is mounted on said L-pipell) a V-shaped yoke or bracket 16 (FIG. 4) having a split clampingportion with a tightening screw 17, and a pair of diverging arms 18.Said arms are provided with apertures 19, and secured in each is anelongated vertical rod 29 which extends downwardly from said bracket toa point adjacent the valve seat 11 on the base of the L-pipe, saidspaced, parallel arms straddling said seat member, as shown in FIGS. 1and 2. The exact shape of said bracket 16 is not critical to theinvention, of course, and other bracket designs providing spacedsupports for the vertical rods 20 might be employed withoutdeparting'from the spirit of the invention.

Vertically slidably mounted on and between said spaced rods 20 is across bar 21, hereinafter referred to as the slide bar, said bar havingsleeve bearings 21' adjacent its ends through which said rods closely,slidably project. Said slide bar 21 is attached by means of a chain 23,or other flexible coupling member, to the free end of the aforementionedtrip lever 14. When the latter is raised, through the manipulation of anexternal handle, as described, said slide bar 21 is pulled upwardly tothe position of FIG. 1, and upon release of the handle, said slide bar21 falls by gravity to a lowered position (FIGS. 2 and 3).

As is shown in FIG. 5, said slide bar 21 is provided with a dovetailcutout 24 intermediate its length, and mounted immediately thereabove isa bent arm 25 which may be turned from the position shown in full linesto the lowered, broken line position of said FIG. 5. As appears in FIG.6, the ball valve 27 in the present assembly is of standard design,including a threaded top opening 28, and in accordance with theinvention there is threaded therein a special, dovetail top member 29.To mount said flush ball 27 in the slide bar 21 it is merely necessaryto insert the ball top member 29 into the dovetail cutout 24 in said barmember, the arm 25 being in its raised position to permit said assembly.When the ball valve is thus mounted in the slide bar, said arm 25 isturned to its downwardly-extending, broken line position to maintain thesame therein. Thus there is provided a very simple, but effective,mounting assembly whereby the flush ball may be readily secured to ordetached from the unit.

To install the novel flush ball support and guide assembly comprisingthe present invention in a standard toilet, the bracket 16 is slippedonto the top of the flush L-pipe and slid downwardly to a properposition intermediate its length, the slide bar and flush ball beingslidably mounted on the guide rods 243 as described. Said supportingbracket is then tightened in place, by means of the screw 17, and theassembly is complete.

In the use of the present apparatus, when the handle on the toiletexterior is turned to flush said toilet, the free end of the trip lever14 is swung upwardly to the position shown in FIG. 1, thus drawing theslide bar 21, together with the flush ball 27 carried thereby, upwardlyand away from the valve seat 11, thereby permitting water in the tank torush into the toilet bowl. When the handle is released, said leverreturns to the'lowered position shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, thus loweringthe ball into engagement with the valve seat 11 again, and preventingfurther flow of water from the tank.

Due to the positioning of the guide rods 26 in straddling relationshipto the valve seat 11, as described, the hush ball 27 in the presentinvention is always lowered in perfect alignment with said valve seat,and there is no possibility of said ball tipping or sitting askew onsaid seat, as frequently occurs with conventional flush ball mountingarrangements. Moreover, with the present assembly, the slide bar 2-1bears downwardly against the seated ball valve, and functions tomaintain the same in firm engagement with said valve seat, thus furtherminimizing the possibility of leakage.

in the event the flush ball 27 in the present invention should becomeworn or damaged, it may be quickly removed from the slide bar 21 merelyby turning the arm 25 upwardly, and withdrawing the ball top member 2 9from the dovetail slot 24 in said bar. Said top member 29 may then beunscrewed and mounted in a new flush ball, and the latter installed inthe slide bar as described. Thus, with the present device the flush ballcan be quickly and easily replaced in the unit when necessary. If itshould be desired to remove the entire unit from the tank, the bracketscrew 17 can be loosened, and the bracket 16 drawn upwardly and oil thetop of the L-pipe;

As will be appreciated from the foregoing detailed description, thepresent invention provides a novel flush ball mounting assembly which isnot only simple and reliable in operation, and eliminates a problemwhich has long beset the art, but which novel device may be easilyinstalled in a standard toilet by a homeowner, there being no specialtools or equipment required.

It is to be understood, of course, that the present invention is not tobe limited or confined to a structure identical in all respects to thatillustrated in. the drawing and hereinabove described. It iscontemplated that numerous changes or modifications may be made thereinA; while still incorporating the basic novelty of the invention, and itis intended to include herein not only the 7 structure shown anddescribed, but also any and all modifieations or changes therein as maycome within the spirit of the invention, and within the scope of thefollowing claim.

What I claim is:

In a toilet flush tank having a pivotal trip lever, having an openingdefining a valve seat therebelow, and having an upright L-pipe adjacentsaid valve seat, a flush ball support and guide assembly, comprising: abracket removably mounted on said L-pipe above said valve seat, saidbracket having a pair of diverging arms; a pair of vertical guide rodsmounted in and depending from said bracket arms in straddlingrelationship to said valve seat; a cross bar slidably carried on andbetween said vertical guide rods, said bar having a dovetail cutout inits bottom surface intermediate its length; a flush ball valve dependingfrom said cross bar, said flush ball being movable with said cross barfrom a raised position spaced above said valve seat to a loweredposition in sealing engagement with said valve seat, and said flush ballhaving a dovetail-shaped top member threaded therein and re movablymounted in said cross bar dovetail cutout; and flexible coupling meansconnecting said cross bar to said trip lever, whereby said cross bar canbe raised and lowered on said guide rods in response to pivotal movementof said trip lever.

References (lited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,450,609 10/48Phelps 457 2,518,679 8/50 Graham 4-57 2,713,687 7/55 Bill et al 4-572,964,758 12/60 Graziosi 457 EDWARD V. BENHAM, Primary Examiner.

FRANK H. BRONAUGH, Examiner.

